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What Are You?
Rated M due to violence and sexual references. Warriors and its characters belong to Erin Hunter. A few characters in this story, such as Blizzard, belong to me. ---- What are you? I used to ask myself this question every night. I hadn't known the answer. I do now, of course. My parents asked this question once, too, though in a different form... "What is this?!" came the voice I first heard. Father. "Mouse dung! We only wanted one! What is this pathetic little thing?" hissed a second. Mother. I was hungry, and began mewling. A hiss of annoyance came from above me, and a sharp pain hit my face. "It'll keep bugging us if we don't feed it." If I thought about it now, I would have known straight away what that implied; but back then, I was nothing but a stupid, pathetic kit. "One feed. That is all. We only need the ginger one," father replied. Which one was the ginger? Me, or the bundle of fur I felt curled up peacefully next to me? One of us wasn't wanted. A short moment after suckling, I felt all warmth fade away, and a cold swooped in to take its place. I mewled for it to return, but nothing came. Suddenly, everything was gone, nonexistent. I felt something soft scoop me up from above, and a shape had entered my tiny mouth. I soon found myself suckling again. Hopeful that mother had come back, I grabbed the shape... only to find out it was merely a bottle, and not fur as I had suspected. Two moons had passed since my birth. "The world is so beautiful!" I heard someone next to me gasp in awe. Something prodded my side. I felt no reluctance in disagreeing: the world isn't beautiful. It was darkness wherever you looked. Not just in the sense that I hadn't physically opened my eyes, because with that thought, that truth, I'd say my eyes were more open than any other. "Hey! Brother! Open your eyes! Come ooon! Your pelt looks so amazing - and look at me - I'm like a brand of fire!" he urged. At this, my eyes had flown open, and a sudden realisation crossed my mind. I was not the ginger one: I was not wanted, and I never would be. I was doomed to be alone. “Wow! Your eyes look like ice! Hi, brother! Nice to meet you! I’m Blazy!” he introduced himself, then looked around. Two much older cats, one a dark ginger tabby tom and the other a tri-colour she-cat, sat, sharing tongues and not even paying any mind to their kits. “That’s Red, and over there’s Snowstorm! They’re our mother and father!” I should have known all this already, but I didn't. I had my brother to tell me because I was rejected and he knew that. “They haven’t named you, though…” he pouted, his amber eyes a bit sad. Then he looked excited again. “So we will! What do you want to be called?” “I…” He was listening intently. “What do I… look like?” I asked Blazy. “Well… like I said earlier, your eyes are this amazing icy colour. And you’re tri-colour, just like Snowstorm. You’re fluffy, and everywhere your fur has these dots of white on it. Just like a…” he explained, trailing off at the last word, presumably to let me finish the sentence for him to see if we agreed. “… A blizzard!” so I did. Truth be told, at the time, I didn’t even know what a blizzard was. It just made sense to me, somehow. “Yes! You look exactly like a blizzard! So how about it, Blizzard?” “I love it!” I smiled, pushing myself up and excitedly padding towards him. “Awesome! Come on! One of the housefolk cubs opened the door to their den and I want to see what’s inside!” Blazy told me, bounding off. Curious to explore the nest, I followed. Through the doorway we entered. It was dark, but soon enough our eyes attuned to that darkness. Next to me, Blazy jumped into the air, then landed with an ‘oof’, scrambling back up to his paws. “There’s a housefolk cub sleeping in that bed,” he reported, “and it looks comfortable. Let’s go up.” So he made his way outside of my vision as I padded up to the towering bed. I scrunched back my legs then leaped, only to collide on its side. I landed uncomfortably, hissed silently then looked around. “Blizzard, over here!” I heard Blazy call me from behind. I turned around to find him sitting on something too dark for me to see properly, though I could see its basic shape. “Up here.” He jumped on another shape that was slightly higher than the bed as I followed him. Eventually we both found ourselves on the edge of the soft bed, and we scrambled our way to its other side, then we curled up and closed our eyes, ready for the next day. Over time I noticed slight differences about Blazy’s behaviour toward me – though ‘slight’ may be an understatement. The day after the next his playing seemed more and more reluctant. Then another few days later he hadn’t wanted to play, because he was 'too tired'. After another few, he didn’t even speak to me. Another few, Blazy hissed at me whenever I tried to talk to him. More after that, he cuffed me over the ear violently. Then finally whenever I tried so much as to get near him he’d attack me. I was all alone, again. All I had was my housefolk, and it was unlikely that even they cared.Then one night came. “Blizzard,” he whispered in my ear as I sat curled on the housefolk seat, “Red and Snowstorm said we could go explore tonight. Let’s go!” He sounded as excited as when I first talked to him. “Uh… me?” I asked, confused. It had felt like a long time since the day I met him. “Yes, you, you mouse-brain! There’s no one else called Blizzard here, is there?” he replied, though not harshly, more playfully. Chuckling, I lifted myself off my haunches and we made off. We squeezed through the narrowly opened door and ran off into the night. I could hardly see anything until dawn started to come and crimson streaks lit up the path ahead of us. We were at the foot of foggy woods composed of trees that grew fungus on them; the leaves above covering the whole forest like a roof, allowing no sunlight through, as if it were a wall of darkness. I stared at it in horror, but Blazy still seemed excited. “Come on!” he squeaked, then burst off. “Blazy, wait!” but my warning was unheard as I watched the last of his silhouette disappear into the mist. Terrified for him, I quickly followed. “Blazy!” I called, still running, then stopped when I realised that I couldn’t smell him; or anything, for that matter. It felt like my nose was frozen. I lay down, hiding my tail under my legs, and trembled, glancing left and right in hopes of finding a way out, but it seemed I had run farther than I thought, because there was none in sight. “Blazy!” I tried to yowl, but it came out as nothing more than a whisper. A sudden movement in the distance caught my eye, much too large to be a cat. All instincts told me to run, but I was stuck, shivering and waiting for my end. Creatures emerged from behind trees both far and close, from all around me; owls, wolves, foxes, and even bears. A normal cat wouldn't have known what they were, but Blazy had somewhat of a wild imagination and knew from stories our parents had told him. Now no matter what my instinct told me, there was no opportunity for escape. A wolf in front of me prepared to leap, and as it almost had every creature suddenly halted, then ran. Behind me I heard a deafening caw, then the beat of wings. From behind me emerged a great black bird with its wings outstretched right in front of me. It sheathed its wings then turned to face me. It had small eyes as red as blood, glowing ominously as if it were staring straight inside of me. It twisted its head sideways then made a weird croaking noise. “You are lost,” it said. I almost jumped. This giant bird could talk! “Y-y-yes…” I stammered. It came by my side and covered my small, trembling body with its wing. “You are safe with me. These spirits will not hurt you,” it told me, though I was skeptical. And who wouldn't be, talking to such a creature? “Who… are you…?” I asked it. “I am the Raven Mocker. My name is whispered in many tribes and packs, told in many stories throughout the land. They fear me. But you, you have nothing to fear. I will protect you. My name, though strange, is Kâ'lanû." He turned his head to face me, his crimson eyes glowing dimly in curiosity, but it didn't frighten me. Instantly, I believed him, and I stopped trembling. From that moment on I was different. A cruel beast to all but my superior, which was only to him. “And who are you?” he asked me, taking back his wing. I gazed at him bravely, my icy blue eyes meeting his bloody red ones. “My name is Blizzard,” I told him. “Cold at heart. I see. Fitting,” he mused, and I nodded in agreement. “Blizzard. I… have a power. To control the darkness.” “Oh?” He took out a wing then slowly swept it along the ground. The hard grass underneath shriveled and turned dark. The white fog around him turned black. "'His soul is sick... his years ripe for the taking'. I take the lives of Twolegs who are to die. Their hearts... a delicacy among my kind," he explained. Soon enough though, the forest changed back. “I see…” I mused. “I can give this power to you. You will be one with the darkness and coldness in the heart of everything living,” he explained. “You… can give me power?” I prompted, pricking my ears in interest. “Well… not in a literal sense, no. You will ''have the power, but it will be I who controls it. Everyone will fear you, and out of that fear, you will have control over everything, for it is better to be feared than loved. You will be the hunter, and all will be the prey. You will be… unstoppable. Is this a deal you’d take?” the raven claimed. Of course, I agreed without a second thought. I do not regret it. He spread his wings in a sinister manner then twisted his head sideways, again making weird croaking noises. In an instant, everything around me turned black. Nothing existed any more, only the raven’s crimson eyes that melted away at the hearts of all creatures. It felt pleasant and welcoming, until a searing pain burned me, tearing at my flesh and very soul. Then it was over. I felt more power than ever. I felt as if I could bound above the highest mountain, or leap across the widest river, or climb the tallest tree, even kill the strongest cat. Of course, it was just a feeling. I was still a kit, and as such, could not do any of these things. When I stepped forward something caught my eye, and I stared down at my feet, freezing. Tilting my head, I noticed my once white pelt had turned black. Ignoring it, I continued, until I was stopped by a pair of black wings. Kâ'lanû hunched over, seemingly growing bigger. When I stepped back, I saw him turn into something of a mixture between a housefolk and a raven. His great talons picked me up, and I heard his wings beating until I was lifted up. He flew me through the forest and back out into the open. I saw my nest for a moment and hissed, though it was drained by the wind in my ears. They abandoned me. Blazy, Red, Snowstorm, my housefolk; they all abandoned me. But I didn’t need them, now. I had Kâ'lanû. He flew higher into the sky, almost touching the clouds. It took a few hours but eventually he landed me in what he called a Twolegplace. I had guessed that it was the housefolk he called the Twolegs, but then he said it was what all wild cats called them. From then on I’d refer to them as such. I at least felt grateful to touch solid ground again, but with all that time spent in the sky, it felt a bit heavy on my paws. Nevertheless, I continued, controlled by instinct. I stopped at the scent of blood before turning a corner to find an alleyway. Inside it was a blue-grey she-kit, who glanced at me wildly with grey eyes, then disappeared into the shadows. I waited for what seemed like forever before two more cats, both fully grown, approached me. Normally, I would have ran for my life by now, though for some obscure reason I felt like I belonged here, and so small though I was, I stood proudly. “Well, well, well,” one cat, a ginger tom, sneered, “What do we have here?” "A kit dares to trespass in BloodClan territory!” another ginger, though paler, tom next to him replied. They approached me intimidatingly, though I could tell from their skinny looks that they were starving and weak. “I want to join,” I answered bravely. The first ginger tom took a step back then burst out in laughter. “Can you believe this, Jaggedtooth? A kit? Wanting to join US?” He laughed between words. “I can tell you need it,” I jeered. The toms stared at me menacingly. “What was that, you little furball? If you think you’re material for joining us, then you must fight!” Jaggedtooth growled. I unsheathed my tiny claws. “And who would you have me fight?” I challenged. He pointed his tail at the blue she-kit, her clear, grey eyes burning with determination and her claws unsheathed. She was older than me, and larger; that I knew, but the dark force that lingered in my heart urged me on. It gave me the most terrible power. She stepped towards me, and so did I towards her. We circled for a moment before she leaped at me. I tried to dodge but she took hold of my tail, turned me around and raked her claws down my back. I screeched in pain, then she struck my side, making me tumble over. Before I knew it, I had already been pinned down. Her grey eyes seemed to burn even brighter, almost blinding me. “Brick! I did it!” she called.Then suddenly, everything turned dark. A horrible black oozed out from my wounds as if it were a mist, and more ever than before I felt the power that roamed inside of me unleash. My pain was no more; cleansed by the darkness. By now I could see that the she-kit’s expression had turned from pride to one of horror. I threw her off with an unbelievable power and dashed towards her limp body, savagely clawing at her chest before she gave a shriek of agony, and one of the cats behind me yowled for me to stop. I felt the unleashed power drain away and hide back inside, and I panted for a moment before scratching her shoulder feebly one last time, then hopped off her beaten body and faced the two toms furiously. They took a step back and looked at me with terror. “… W… welcome to BloodClan, I guess…” one, I assumed Brick, broke the silence. “Thank you. I’m eager to meet everyone,” I told him. He looked at me sheepishly. “Well… we’re really all there is anymore. Just you, me, Jaggedtooth and Topaz. After our leader, Scourge, died, we became a mess. Eventually, everyone left…” he murmured. “Are you joking? I went through all this trouble to join just the three of you? Some clan you have here!” I hissed, padding heavily further into the alley. “Nice to meet you too, kit!” someone called after me. I found a circle shape made out of soft stuff, big enough for a cat to rest in. Sighing, I jumped in and slumped down heavily. A notable raven sat just outside of the makeshift nest. “Soon,” he told me. “Soon what?” I growled at him, then immediately regretted my loudness. He glared at me, then raised his wings and twisted his head, again making that weird, freaky croaking noise. Then he stared at me again. “This clan will be yours. It will be great; not BloodClan, no, but BlizzardClan. You will rule more than just this foul rubbish place.” He glanced backwards then took flight, disappearing in a few wing beats. I sighed at the thought. It would be nice, but would it be true? The blue-grey she-kit, evidently Topaz, came towards me, though her pelt was stained in blood from her most recent wounds. “Seriously, what is your name?” “Blizzard! Okay? My name is Blizzard! Does that help you in any way?!” I snapped. She scoffed and disappeared. I closed my eyes and fell asleep. About 8 moons had passed since then. Remarkably, Topaz and I got along, though my definition of getting along might well be different to yours. Nevertheless… Kâ'lanû came to me again, in the middle of the night. In the dark, all I could see were his red eyes, guiding me to some place far off. We crossed the Twolegplace, eventually coming to an open moorland. I followed the raven’s bloody eyes to where a larger silhouette soared across the night sky, its black form revealed only by the stars. Evidently, it saw me, and its wings folded. Though I couldn’t see it, I knew that logically it was diving for me; so I waited. And just as it had almost reached me, I dashed to the side, and it hit the grass with a large thump. Next, I turned to face it and instantly leaped, coincidentally hitting its neck and killing it instantly. I heard Ka’lanu land next to me, and he stared at me. “Declaw it,” he told me. I didn’t ask why, just simply obeyed. “This is a harpy eagle. They are the most deadly eagles in the world. Now, reinforce your claws with its talons. You will be infinitely more powerful.” I stopped to think of how much blood I could get on my paws with this new adjustment, then obeyed excitedly. I flexed my claws and ripped at the grass, surprisingly easily, then made eye contact with the raven with satisfaction. “Thank you.” A new face came in the alley, a tri-coloured tom. He was followed by someone else I couldn’t see. “Brick! We received word that BloodClan might finally have hope! What—” he turned around and saw me. “Who’s this?” “Blizzard. Pleased to meet you,” I introduced myself. He nodded and turned towards Brick. “That is our hope. He has somewhat of a power that could rebuild our clan to what it once was,” Brick answered the tom. “How can you be so sure that ''that ''thing is as powerful as Scourge was?” he asked hotly. I glared at him, but it seemed not to work. “Yeah. I’ve been doubting him since he ever set foot here,” Jaggedtooth commented. “Fight us, then! Let’s see how powerful you really are!” the tri-colour’s accomplice, a tabby grey tom, hissed. I chuckled. “Very well. It only means more blood for my paws,” I replied. The three cats got into battle positions, but already I had dashed towards one, tearing open his throat with a swipe of my unsheathed paw. The kill was quick and clean, and I was grateful for the reinforcement on my claws. Then I twisted mid-air to land perfectly, leaping towards the tri-colour tom, memorising his wide, terrified eyes before I slashed him across neck. The flesh and blood in between my claws felt nothing less than satisfying, at least until it lasted, which I knew would be for only a short time, but more than frequent. He sputtered out blood before falling to his side, then I lastly turned towards Jaggedtooth. Beneath his raging expression I could easily see that he was mortified, however hard he tried to be courageous. I made a quick dash towards him with my left paw outstretched for a feint; he dashed to my right side thinking I would strike with my left, but swiftly I retracted my left paw and impaled his shoulder with my right. I heard the ginger tom shriek as I then threw him with a swipe of my paw, then dashed towards and pinned him. Jaggedtooth still held his furious expression, but the fear inside of him had surfaced. I could hear his ragged breathing and I could feel his rapid heartbeat. Grimly, I lay my claws on the side of his face, then slowly trailed it across his eyes, down his muzzle and chest, stopping at his belly. Throughout the whole of the torture his screams could be heard from all around the Twolegplace, or that’s what it sounded like. I let the blood stream from throughout his body for a while before he finally bled out. I walked away and thought about retreating back to my nest when I saw Brick stare at me as if he had just seen a dead cat come to life, and I realised I had forgotten that he and Topaz were watching the whole thing. Topaz took a step forward. “What shall be done, leader?” she asked. Smiling, I turned my attention to a mound of rubbish, and climbed it. To be up so high gave me a new sense of power I had never felt before: authority. And to think, I was only 10 moons old. “We build BlizzardClan!” Of course, at my young age I couldn't possibly lead a whole Clan. Another cat who stumbled into our alley found this. “I find fault in a young cat like you leading,” a stranger mewed as I sat on my mound of rubbish. I stared at him hardly; a solid brown tom with blue eyes. “Who are you to tell me that?” I replied. “Falcon. At your service,” he answered. “And what would ''you do differently?” He chuckled quietly. “I would move my Clan out of this Twolegplace and into that forest next to it.” “How am I supposed to know how to get there, let alone make sure everyone makes it?!” I hissed at him. “My point exactly! I do. You don’t. Because you’re hardly four seasons old,” he rasped, flicking his tail. We stared at each other for a while. “Fine. Lead BlizzardClan, for now,” I decided. Satisfied, he nodded. “What’s our course of action, leader?” “The former members of BloodClan must have heard about us by now. We should wait for them to come back before setting off to the forest. The problem is, what’ll we do when we get there? The cats there are hardly likely to accept us…” Falcon murmured. “Nevermind that! No matter how strong they may be, they won’t be able to beat me! The forest shall be ours!” I laughed, leaving him to go back to my nest. He looked bewildered for a moment before turning away. “Uh… kind of cruel, don’t you think?” he called after me as I stopped and turned to meet his sight. “What should I care? Their lives aren’t worth a thing to me.” “And what of BlizzardClan?” “Any who oppose me shall die. That’s it.” Falcon was silent for a moment. “I never caught your name, by the way!” he called. “Blizzard,” I called back. He nodded, and leaped onto the rubbish mound, giving a yowl to call the clan. Topaz dashed her way around the corner to the rubbish mound, giving a confused look at the stranger. Then Brick poked his head out from the same corner and approached more cautiously. “BlizzardClan,” Falcon began. “Blizzard has decided that he is too young to lead you. Thus, I will lead until he is at least 6 seasons old, which will be in 2 seasons and 2 moons. For now, he will be my deputy.” Brick and Topaz gave confused and surprised glances at each other, but said nothing. Quickly, a moon had passed and four more cats arrived. Two were blue-grey toms, one with yellow eyes and one with blue eyes. It was evident that they were brothers. The other two seemed to be mates by the way they curled their tails together and walked side by side. The female was a brown tabby with amber eyes, and the male was a dark grey tabby with one deep blue eye and one missing eye. Immediately, I made my way to the newcomers. “Greetings, young cat. May I see your leader?” she greeted kindly. Plainly, I pointed my tail towards the alley, where Falcon then emerged. I watched the kind she-cat for a while with a wicked smirk. Too kind. Too weak. She'll die before she joins.“What is this?” the leader asked, approaching the four newcomers. I stayed by his side. “News spreads quickly around Twolegplace. We had some Kittypets tell us of a ‘clan’ in the alleyway,” the yellow-eyed tom answered. Falcon shot me a glance, then looked towards them. “Who are these Kittypets?” he asked. “There was a she-cat. Fluffy, black, white chest and big yellow eyes. She told nus most of it. There was an old ginger tabby tom, too, he told us about the forest cats,” the blue-grey tom with blue eyes described. “Name?” Falcon asked. “We don’t know.” “And yours?” “I’m Tsunami,” he answered. The blue-grey tom with yellow eyes took a step forward. “I’m Tornado.” The brown tabby she-cat approached. “I’m Sally.” “I’m Percy,” the dark grey tom introduced himself. Falcon stood silent in thought for a moment then twitched his whiskers, glancing at me. “If you want to join then let this be a sort of trial. Blizzard, lead these four to the Kittypets and bring them here using any means necessary. I’d like to have a talk with them,” he murmured. I nodded, flicking my tail sharply in annoyance at being ordered by him. I reminded myself that I agreed to this, then set off. The two brothers, Tornado and Tsunami, eventually led us to a path with a row of small Twoleg nests in front of us on either side of the Thunderpath. “This way,” Tornado suddenly meowed, notably making Percy jump. I glanced stoically at him, then followed the blue-grey brothers to a nest which was surrounded by a fence. We bounded over it one by one and waited until a figure slipped out from the door. The shadowy cat froze, widening her dark yellow eyes before warily bounding over. “Tornado? Tsunami? Who are these three?” she asked. “Um… Parcy… Sarah… and Blizzy?” Tornado sheepishly answered. Tsunami cuffed him over the ear playfully. “Stupid furball. Percy, Sally and Blizzard,” he corrected. Tornado nodded shakily, obviously embarrassed. “And why are you here?” the black she-cat rasped with an edge to her voice. “Bring everyone here, we need to talk about something,” Tornado ordered. She ignorantly puffed out her white chest. “It’s not important,” she mewed. “Midnight, please, save me from your rudeness.” “Fine,” the fluffy cat hissed, running off and out of their sight. After waiting for what felt like days, Midnight came from behind them with four other cats. A tortoiseshell-and-white tom that towered above Blizzard seemed to be leading them. He walked alongside what seemed to be his mate; an incredibly large marbled she-cat, slightly bigger than the tom beside her. Behind them was an elderly ginger tom with pale green eyes who carried a grey-and-white tom kit. Midnight lagged behind, her black pelt like a shadow. The tortoiseshell-and-white tom stepped forward. “Who are you five and what do you want?” he sternly, yet calmly, asked. I stepped forward to meet him.“Your names would be nice, first of all,” I told him. “You first,” the large, marbled she-cat replied. I nodded. “I’m Blizzard. This is Percy, Sally, Tsunami and Tornado,” I meowed, pointing my tail to each of the cats as I introduced them. Midnight came from behind the group, nodding at the larger pair. “That’s Tiger and Leaf. Behind them is Ginger and Face. Now… what was it you needed to talk about?” “Come with us. We need you all,” Tsunami answered. Midnight stood still for a heartbeat before stepping back, widening her eyes. “No…” she breathed, grimly. “No, no, no, no!” “Midni—“ “You joined them! You joined the cats living in the alley!” Tsunami took a step forward, but before he could get any closer Tiger and Leaf blocked the way. I pushed my way past Tsunami then dropped into a fighter’s stance. “Use any means necessary to get them!” I commanded. From behind me I saw Tsunami and Tornado launch themselves at the two large cats. Yowls immediately split into the air but I paid no mind, instead chasing after a now running Midnight. She was plump and slow, however, and it took no effort to catch up to her and slash her legs from under her. She tumbled and fell, hissing, and then I turned around to meet curved claws. Quickly I ducked, feeling my ear being nicked. Hissing, I lunged back up, biting Tiger’s neck and scratching at his shoulder. My attack was cut short when something grabbed me by my scruff and through me, and I soon saw Leaf standing in front of Tiger. To my surprise, she cuffed him over the ear, claws unsheathed, then ran. Quickly, I turned my attention to Percy and Sally, who were chasing after Ginger. “We’re going back! Now!” They stopped, exchanging a confused look before obeying. With that, we retreated.When we entered the alley, we came to a surprise. Leaf was seen talking to Falcon, who then nodded and turned tail. He froze when he saw us return and approached. “Welcome back. Tsunami, Tornado, Sally, Percy… you want to join BlizzardClan, I assume.” “Yes… what… what shall be done?” Percy nervously asked. Falcon gave a grim smile and chuckled darkly. “Only those who survive will join. We offer no training here.” Fear scent from Percy and Sally burst around the whole alley, and at that the brothers gave smirks. “W-wha-a-t…?” the half-blind grey tabby trembled. Tsunami leaped at Percy, easily biting into his neck and silently taking his life. Percy’s body fell from under him, hitting the ground with a soft thump. Sally, shocked from the very recent death of her mate, was lunged at by Tornado. He bit into her shoulder and scratched her flank furiously. Just as he was about to leap on her for the killing blow, I stepped in and interrupted. “Stop!” I yowled, and immediately he backed off. Falcon gave a trivial look at me, but thought nothing of it. “I have… something in mind for this one… you have proven yourself, both of you. Welcome to BlizzardClan.” They said nothing, only nodded in deep respect and padded off. “Blizzard?” Falcon approached me. “What do you have in mind?” he asked as the she-cat looked at me gratefully. You won’t be so grateful when you know what I’ll do… I didn’t answer Falcon, only stepped towards Sally and pushed her down with my forepaw to the floor. She yelped in surprise but didn’t argue. Smiling sadistically, I climbed on top of her, grabbed her scruff, and got to work… To say the least, she wasn’t in a very good condition when I was done. Sally spent the next few hours bleeding, yowling, shivering and streaming heavily, and I was watching her traumatised state the whole time up until she gave her last few heavy breaths, then she finally stopped shivering. Satisfied with my experience, I laughed sickeningly. I grabbed Sally’s body and took her further into the alley, then lay her body in the pile with the bodies of the other cats I’ve previously killed: Jaggedtooth and the grey tom and tri-colour tom I had never caught the name of. By now their bodies had decomposed and were nothing more than bones, but their blood stained the wall next to my nest as a permanent reminder of who they were. Smirking, I dipped my tail in Sally’s blood and smeared it across the wall, then climbed in my nest and fell asleep. 2 moons had passed since then. It was only going to be 2 more seasons until I could take full control of BlizzardClan. Topaz, Leaf and I were exploring the Twolegplace for food when a yowl had split the air. Immediately, we sprinted to the source of the noise. Leaf was the fastest, though that was expected of her. We crossed the Thunderpath and turned the next corner to the sight of several corpses and a pool of pure red. In the middle of it was a bloodstained white she-cat, who held her eyes closed. I flicked my tail as a signal for the group to stop, then crouched forward quietly towards the unmoving figure. When I stepped a paw forward, her ear flicked. “Who dares?” she asked, opening her eyes. They were a light blue, like ice. “Did you do this?” I asked. “Yes. Think about answering my question.” I looked around at the corpses, rather impressed. Not all of them were even cats; some were small dogs, and rats. “I’m Blizzard. I don’t suppose you killed all these in one go?” I asked her. “Of course not, idiot. This is my kill pile. I go here to relax,” she answered, lifting off her haunches and approaching me. “Blizzard,” she repeated slowly, “Blizzard?” “Yes. Blizzard. My name is Blizzard. What is your name?” I asked slowly. She shot a glare at me, and I just smiled. “Ice.” “Ice,” I repeated slowly. “It’s nice to meet you, Ice.” She flicked her tail sharply and continued. “That’s not ethical,” she hissed, padding past me. “What do you mean?” I asked, but she showed no sign that she heard, so I shrugged and followed her. Leaf and Topaz eyed her suspiciously. “Would you like to join us?” I asked her. “Join what?” “BlizzardClan. You have blood on your paws. We appeal to cats like that,” I answered. She looked thoughtfully at me. “I’ll see how it goes,” she mused. “What are the requirements?” I flicked my tail to the alley from where she came. “The body of a cat is all you need. Should be easy enough for you.” Nodding, Ice disappeared into her alley, emerging a few moments later with the body of a small white she-cat and three kits. “Wow,” Topaz commented, and we left off for the BlizzardClan base. “Hey,” she mewed. Ice didn’t reply. “Hey, you! White cat!” Topaz called. When Ice still didn’t reply, she brought herself closer. “Excuse me!” she practically yowled in the white she-cat’s ear. When she still didn’t respond, Topaz groaned and tapped her on the shoulder. “I’M TALKING TO YOU, IDIOT!” Ice finally turned around and looked at her. “Finally, you listen to me! Are you deaf or something?!” “Yes!” “Well then why aren’t yo--! Wait, what?!” “I’m deaf. Is it really that important?” Ice commented. “You… how do you manage?” Topaz gasped. “Easy. I use my eyes, nose and paws. And there’s no noise to distract me when I’m fighting,” Ice explained. Topaz just nodded. “Anyway, what did you want to ask me?” “What’s your name?” Topaz asked. “Ice,” she responded. “Topaz,” she replied, still bewildered. 2 seasons finally passed by. As I emerged from my alley to look for Falcon, I saw Topaz, Ice and Leaf in a group. Having nothing better to do, I listened in on their conversation. “You’re incredibly large,” Topaz told Leaf. “Yes. I’m not exactly a normal cat,” she mewed. “Are you… a leopard?” Ice asked. “No. That’s silly. But my mother WAS a type of wildcat,” Leaf mewed. “You mean a forest cat?” Topaz gasped. “No! Even worse, actually!” she laughed, “She was a… I think it was called a surv… I don’t remember.” “A serval,” Ice answered. “My half-brother’s father is a Savannah. Like you. He won’t shut up about how he’s a descendant of wild cats.” “And what about you, Ice? Where do you come from?” Leaf asked. “My story isn’t really interesting. I was a Kittypet, and ran away after I found the life… lacking. I took to the alleyway. Apparently white cats with blue eyes are more likely to be deaf. I’m a result of that, I guess.” “It’s a little rude to be listening to others converse, don’t you think?” a voice from behind me called. It was Falcon, who was closely followed by Brick. “It’s your memorable day, Blizzard.” The brown tom climbed up the rubbish mound and I followed. He gave a yowl to call a meeting. “BlizzardClan! Today is a very memorable day, for today I resign my position as leader and, in turn, pass leadership onto Blizzard. It has been an honour to be able to lead you for this period of time, and may our new leader bring us to prosperity.” He bounded down the mound, leaving me on top of it. “I am pleased to lead my founded clan. Falcon, you have been a well leader and I wish you to remain my dep--… u…” three visitors came in the alley. I wouldn’t have been so surprised if I didn’t know who they were. But I knew. “… ty…” I finished, hopping off the mound and towards them. One a dark ginger tom, the other a lighter, smaller ginger tom. Unconscious and between them lay a tri-colour she-cat. “Father. Brother,” I scowled. “Blizzard…” Blazy breathed. “What do you want?” I hissed. “We want to join,” Red told me, flicking his tail. I swiped a paw at him, but he quickly blocked it with his leg and twisted it around so it was now on the ground, and he held it there. I heard one of the BlizzardClan cats step forward swiftly and warily, but they were stopped. “And why should I let you join? You left me! Both of you, abandoned me and forgot I even existed!” “Well, that turned out in your favour, didn’t it?” Red chuckled, glancing around the alley. I didn’t reply, only held my furious gaze until he released my paw. I took it back quietly. “To join, we must show the blood of a cat on our paws, correct?” my father murmured. I nodded. Smiling wickedly, he turned around and prodded Snowstorm. She opened her icy eyes and blinked rapidly, then got up shakily. “Ah… Red, where… are we?” the tri-colour she-cat asked. “Look around,” Blazy ordered. She did so, then set her eyes on me. “Son,” Snowstorm deadpanned. “You call me ‘son’ because you don’t even know my own name,” I growled. “And why should I care?” she asked, turning around to face Red. “What are we doing here?” she asked. “Don’t ask questions. We need to join these cats… but to do that, we need blood on our paws,” the dark-ginger tom answered grimly. “I see,” the she-cat smirked wryly, turning her attention back to me and unsheathing her claws. “Not his blood!” Red laughed, barely managing a nod to Blazy, who then moved to block the exit. “What…?” Snowstorm stared at him, head tilted in confusion. It took a moment before her icy eyes had finally widened, and she dashed for the exit. Red had managed to scratch at her hind leg. When she reached the alleyway, Blazy was there to give a head on rake down her forelegs, causing her to tumble and fall. Blazy moved out of the way as Red pelted in and grabbed her by the scruff, scathing her head against the wall as he ran back in the alley then threw her. Finally, Blazy dashed towards her and gave a final rake down along her exposed belly. She gave a few final, painful breaths before closing her eyes for the last time. The alley was quite for a long moment before I tore my gaze from her now red pelt, facing my relatives. "What drove you to kill the one you loved?" I asked my father. "Love?" Red laughed, "I didn't love her! I only needed her for a kit! A son to have!" "You have two," I commented. "Yes. That, I will admit, I didn't intend. But this course of action you've taken, caused by me, has turned out so much in your favour. I deserve thanks for that, don't I? Me and Blazy both." "Yes," I answered, "you're right. I welcome you to BlizzardClan with gratitude, father... brother..." ---- It's been a moon now since Blizzard welcomed his family to the clan. Leaf had sighed in envy when she saw the three together; she didn't have a family to welcome anymore, after all. Damn Twolegs, she cursed to herself, continuing to patrol along the stone path beside the Thunderpath. It was before dawn so the monsters were still asleep, so she still had time to explore. Overhead, a yowl sounded, and she pelted her way along the path. Whenever she ran, she had always felt the pleasure of wild blood in her veins, but of course, she was fast, so that hadn't lasted long. The marbled Savannah skidded to a halt and peered in the alleyway where the yowl had sounded: there were two toms, one a ginger-and-white, and the third a pure black cat. In between them was a silver she-cat laying on her flank weakly; though Leaf could tell it was but an act. She didn't care, though. "Well well, isn't she a beauty," the ginger-and-white tom smiled creepily, edging towards her. "Save it for another cat. This one's not ours. She's for the cats below the Thunderpath," the black tom growled. "Oh, mouse dung! As if we can't toy with her before we send her off to those freaks!" the ginger-and-white argued. Suddenly, something sharp poked at Leaf's nape, though she dared not turn around. "Hello," she greeted. "Get in," he replied. Smiling discreetly, she lifted herself out of her crouching position and walked in, followed by the brown tabby tom behind her of inferior size. "Whoa!" Ginger-and-White almost yowled, "That one's huge!" "Good job, Ben. That'll get us lots of food from underground," Black complimented, "whatever they can offer us." Listen to them. Treating me like an 'it'. I'll show them... "Hey. Giant. What's your name? Where do you come from?" he asked. Leaf didn't answer, just smirked. "That look tells me you're dangerous." "Leaf," she responded. "Leaf? I think I heard that name somewhere...!" the brown tabby behind her, evidently Ben, exclaimed. The large she-cat leaned forward and tilted her head downwards in a way that made her eyes shadowed and only visible by its dim glow. "BlizzardClan says 'hi'," the half-wildcat meowed quietly. She saw a flicker of worry in the black cat's eyes before she wheeled around, raking her sharp claws across Ben's neck. The cut was clean and deep, and she could hear him gurgle as blood spat out from the wound before she turned around again, hearing the thump of his body as it hit the ground. Feeling the blood of wildcats pump in her veins heavily once again, Leaf dashed towards the ginger-and-white cat and raked her thorn-sharp claws up from his chest to his chin, essentially splitting him open. Then the marbled cat scrunched up her back legs and jumped backwards, landing behind the black cat so as to confuse him. As he tried to face her, she lay her claws onto his rump, so that when he turned her claws were raked all across his body. Leaf watched the blood stream from his wounds for a moment before turning around to face the silver she-cat. She had white tabby markings. "Who are you?" Leaf asked simply. "I have no name," the silver cat replied softly with an air of mystery about her. "Well, you're going to need one to join us," the Savannah snorted. "Even if you don't want to, I don't care. You're joining anyway since you've seemly nowhere to go." "What's in it for me?" she asked, curiously yet warily. "Are you serious? It's BlizzardClan we're talking about here! You prefer to be great, to live soon enough outside of Twolegplace, or would you rather I leave you here in the blood that I've just spilled with nowhere for you to go? Blizzard has big ambitions. We will live in the forest, rich of proper food and shelter, and the taste of rubbish will be but a thing of the past!" Leaf exclaimed. "Blizzard... I've heard of that motherless monster. That's not an insult, by the way... ah, it is, but a respective one..." she mewed, quite out of random. How on earth can an insult get respective? Leaf wondered. "Are you joining or not?" "Depends. I'll speak with Blizzard, but if he tries anything, I'm outta there." The nameless she-cat spoke louder, though monotonously. "He won't. There is but one thing he asks of those wishing to join: you must have the blood of another cat on your paws," Leaf explained grimly. "Easy enough. I've killed cats before," the silver cat chuckled lightly yet sadistically. "You'll need to prove it. Luckily for you, that won't be a problem since I just killed three cats right in front of you." "What do you mean?" "Grab a corpse or whatever. Make it evident that it was you who killed him, even if you didn't. Smear blood all over yourself, your claws and the like and bring it to Blizzard. He's got an amazing pile of dead cats right next to his nest, and a collection of blood smears on his wall." The silver she-cat nodded, freezing in thought for a moment. "Call me Crystal," she murmured." To hide the hidden killer inside of you, Leaf thought. Crystal grabbed the black tom, clawing wounds open on his dead body. She dipped her paw in the streaming blood and wiped it all over her muzzle, claws and fangs. "Alright. Let's head off," the much larger cat nodded, heading out of the alleyway with Crystal following behind. ---- "Ahh... who is this?" I murmured, breaking off from Red and Blazy to meet Leaf, who towered above a small, blood-soaked silver she-cat. "Crystal. She's going to join," the giant cat answered. "Crystal. Mind passing me that body you've got in your jaws?" I smiled. The aforementioned threw it towards me. It landed at my paws heavily. "Thank you," I mewed, hunching over to grab the black tom by his scruff. I effortfully retreated back to my nest, dropping him in my pile of previous victims. Even more had turned into nothing but bones now. The bodies stunk of rot, but it was the kind of rot I'd put up with to maintain my reputation. Some blood was still streaming from the recently killed cat, so I dipped my tail, darkened from dry blood, into it and smeared it across the wall before climbing into my nest and falling asleep. When I had finished my morning grooming, a shadow approached from behind me. I whipped around to the sight of Falcon. "Blizzard," he greeted. I greeted him back with a flick of my tail. "I... I'm afraid I can't lead BlizzardClan in the future." "Why not?" I asked, more confused than surprised. "I've already had a chance at leading, and I'm grateful for that. But the life of a leader is not for me. You'll have to choose another deputy," he sighed. "... I see." Quickly, I bounded up the rubbish mound and yowled for the clan to meet. After waiting a few minutes, all had finally gathered. Ice seems formidable enough... no, she's deaf... a deaf leader isn't good... Leaf... she'd do well. But she's too battle-thirsty. She'd lead us to destruction. "BlizzardClan, I give you rather bad news," I announced, though too confident in spite of my words. Tornado... no, he's downright an idiot. Tsunami... too protective of his brother. Sentiment will get in the way. "Falcon has resigned his position as deputy..." I continued. Red. Father. He's the making of a good leader... no... he... he doesn't deserve to be leader. He abandoned me. Blazy is the same issue. "... and as such, I shall appoint a new one." Brick... too squeamish. Cowardly. No way. Crystal... I don't know enough about her. She only just joined. Untrustworthy. "The new deputy will be..." Mouse dung! Is Falcon really the only good choice?! ... No. The only other natural leader here... who would never give up anything only to lose a fight... who is level-headed, trustworthy and as cold-hearted as I am... "... Topaz," I breathed. The blue-grey she-cat looked surprised at me, but grateful, as BlizzardClan cheered for her. With a flick of my tail as a signal, she climbed her way up the rubbish mound and sat beside me. "I am truly grateful for this position, and I swear by my life I will one day lead you all to continuity: continuity of the greatness that will be brought to us by Blizzard. Thank you!" Topaz announced. The crowd cheered again. "And with that..." I could hear my own heart beating in excitement for my next words to come out. "The event that everyone here has awaited will begin tonight! Tonight..." I claimed... "The forest is ours!" ---- "... Raven Mocker, whom I serve..." I asked, "... in the end, what am I?" "Physically, you are a cat. To your clan, a leader. To me, a servant..." he began. "... but in reality, you are a monster." "I understand. Then... what are you?" "I would be the same. We are both monsters. Such will remain whatever you do. But as monsters, let us begin this game?" Category:M Category:Warrior cats